Carl Crawford to have Tommy John surgery Thursday

The Boston Red Sox announced Monday that outfielder Carl Crawford will have Tommy John surgery on his left elbow on Thursday.

An ESPN.com report on Sunday said Crawford would have the Tommy John surgery, but general manager Ben Cherington had said then that a decision would not be made until Monday.

The Red Sox released a statement on Monday, which read: "Carl Crawford has a chronic left elbow ulnar collateral ligament tear. While he has been following a conservative treatment protocol and playing with this injury, his symptoms are getting worse. After consultation with the Boston Red Sox medical staff and with Dr. James Andrews, the decision has been made to proceed with a left elbow ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (Tommy John surgery). The surgery will be performed by Dr. Andrews on Thursday, August 23. We expect Carl to make a full recovery."

Crawford will miss the rest of the season after hitting .282 with three homers in just 31 games for the Red Sox in 2012.